Stop Gatekeeping the Music You Love

Every online music community has its trolls, but the jamband scene—supposedly full of peace-loving hippies—has a particular brand of gatekeeping that's exhausting, predictable, and completely misses the point.

If you're a Goose fan who's been told you don't belong, that your band isn't "real," that they're just knockoffs, or that you need to earn your place in the hierarchy—welcome; you’re in good company. You're experiencing the exact same hazing that Phish fans endured from Deadheads in the 90s.

Same as it ever was.

The Torch Doesn't Exist

Most of the bickering seems to center on "passing the torch," an unofficial crowning of Band X as the current king of the jamband scene. It happened with the Grateful Dead and Phish in the mid-90s. Then it shifted to Phish vs. the theater-circuit up-and-comer du jour: moe., SCI, Strangefolk, Umphrey's McGee.

The never-ending apples-to-oranges comparisons were tiresome decades ago, yet they persist. It's a fool's errand because there is no torch, no hierarchy, no winning.

It's not about the torch. Its about love.

If I might quote Mr. Troy Pistachio on this point:

It's love, it's love

It always was

And it is and it always will be love

And we move through stormy weather

We know that our days are few

And we dream and we struggle together

And love will carry us through

Where some Phish phans are focused on trying to tell Goose fans where their place is in the hierarchy, I'll just go ahead and say "Fuck the hierarchy -- it doesn't exist." You all are part of our community, and anyone who makes you feel like a lesser member because your band is newer doesn't get it and they're not worth your time or attention.

We dream and we struggle together, and love will carry us through.

If you have a band that makes you smile, and untangles the knots from the base of your neck, and makes you dance and shake your bones, you found love. What a fucking fantastic thing! Enjoy it, with as many kindred spirits as you can, as often as you can (without putting yourself in serious debt -- it's hard, I know).

It doesn't matter if anyone else feels the same way; it only matters that you do.

Block the O'Bannions, hang with the Randall "Pink" Floyds

If you haven't seen Dazed and Confused, part of the plot involves newly-promoted seniors terrorizing newly-promoted freshmen. The boys are chased by paddle-wielding bullies. The girls are humiliated at the car wash.

Some seniors—Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) and Darla Marks (Parker Posey)—take too much pleasure in making the new kids suffer. Others, like Randall "Pink" Floyd (Jason London), are sympathetic and take on a mentor role.

The jamband scene has both.

Some seniors, Fred O'Bannion (Ben Affleck) and Darla Marks (Parker Posey) in particular, take a bit too much pleasure in making the new kids suffer, whereas others, like Randall "Pink" Floyd (Jason London) and Jodi Kramer (Michelle Burke) are sympathetic and take on a mentor role for a couple of the incoming freshmen.

Same as it ever was.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7aEi6c8cWI

If you're a Goose fan, and you feel like the Phish scene is teeming with O'Bannions, chasing you down, paddle brandished, just know that there are tons of Randall "Pink" Floyds in the crowd too. Yes, we're older, and you're more likely to find us on Facebook than Tik Tok, but what we lack in stamina to dance like a whirling dervish throughout a full show (like we used to), we make up for in hard-won wisdom and valuable perspective.

Strike up a pre-show conversation with those you'd place at 40+ and you might be pleasantly surprised. Whether it's stories of unexpected (mis)adventures with paper maps and no cell phones, or helpful tips on the cheapest (but not sketchy) hotels closest to tomorrow night's venue, or inside baseball on how you might meet the band (less likely the bigger they get, but very likely for the smaller bands), or how to score free admission to major festivals. You just never know who you're talking to, where they've been, what they've learned, and what knowledge they'd be happy to pass on to you.

We're Just Happy You're Here

Like the original Deadheads you'll still find at all kinds of shows—Dead & Company, Phish, Goose, Billy Strings, King Gizzard—most of us are just happy the legacy is alive and well, still being discovered and adopted by younger generations.

We've spent decades building, repairing, nurturing, and safeguarding our communities within this subculture of music geekdom. We hope those who come after us will continue to be stewards of our shared history as fans who found a home among like-minded lovers of music, art, and community.

For those of us who are apprehensively stepping into our middle-age years and are trying to gracefully embrace our newfound status among the community elders (as the Deadheads have always been to us), few things bring us greater joy than seeing our younger selves begin to discover their people, and embark on forming their own communities that will last them lifetimes, just as it has for us.

So to the gatekeepers: Stop chasing the new kids with paddles. They're here for the same reason you are.

And to the new kids: Welcome home. The O'Bannions are loud, but the Pinks outnumber them. Find your people, love your band and ignore the rest.

We'll see you on the road.